


The Bunny Matchmaker

by Sangvinsk



Series: The Dancing Elephant [1]
Category: Zootopia
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Romance, drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-15 09:12:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8050630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangvinsk/pseuds/Sangvinsk
Summary: Judy has always been a goal-oriented rabbit. Much to Nick's dismay, her newest goal is getting him a girlfriend, whether he wants one or not. But romance is a little less straight forward than a career. Once you start the ball rolling, you never know where it ends up.





	1. Chapter One

"Alright, Wolfton?"

  
"The barista down at Kopi Luwak."

  
Judy glanced at Nick, moving the steering wheel to turn the police cruiser down Bonobo Avenue. Then she brightened up.

  
"Right! The husky! I was wondering why he'd switched over from Snarlbucks..."

"Pup's in love" Nick said with a grin, taking a sip from his own coffeecup.

  
They stopped at a red light as a flock of zebras crossed, all in expensive suits. Judy drummed her fingers on the dashboard, absent-mindedly. Let's see... Francine had a boyfriend, even she knew that. That left...

  
She grinned impishly.

"Okay, mr. Cupid. The big one. What about Bogo?"

"Clawhauser" Nick said, perfectly deadpan.

" _Nick_!"

"Carrots!"

The zebras jerked away as the horn rang, then threw the police car offended looks. A few of them even pointed angrily at the red light. Nick hurriedly took off his sunglasses to give them his most charming, apologetic look, but they stomped off angrily. Nick kept his grin in place, even though it hurt around the edges.

  
_That's right, horsey. A fox police officer..._

Once the herd had passed, he turned to the sheepish bunny beside him. She still stared at him incredulously.

" _Bogo and Clawhauser_?!"

"Well, not at the moment" Nick corrected himself. "But, you know, we were talking about our co-workers' crushes, right?"

  
Judy still seemed flabbergasted.

  
"But they're- that would be..."

  
"Interspecies? Predator/prey?"

  
"No, I mean they're both-" she blushed. "I mean..."

  
Nick looked at her for a second, then broke out laughing. He ruffled the top of her head.

  
"Oh, my sweet, innocent Carrots" he teased. "Still the little country bumpkin."

  
She pushed his paw away with both of hers, angrily. Then she huffed up at him, her ears still pretty red.

  
"I am _not_ a bumpkin."

  
"Possibly" he conceded. "But you're still a terrible driver, though. Light turned green a little while ago."

  
She huffed again, and started the massive vehicle with a roar. It still seemed surreal to him that someone so small drove something so massive.

  
They drove in silence for a while, and Nick began to grow genuinely worried he'd taken it too far until the bunny spoke again.

  
"Nick, I think we should start dating."

  
An errant sip of coffee. That's what it was. That was what had him coughing and spluttering for half a minute before he could reply. She look at him worriedly, and he met her gaze with eyes watering from the ordeal.

  
"Are you _serious_?"

  
"Well, yeah" she said, nonplussed. "I've been thinking about it for a while, actually."

  
"You have?" Nick said with rising panic.

  
"Of course! I'm sure there are plenty of young vixens out there who'd be interested in you!"

  
It took a moment for this to sink in, and when it did, Nick relaxed visibly.

  
"Oh. You mean we should start dating _other people_?"

  
"Well, yeah. What did you think? It'd be pretty silly dating ourselves."

  
She looked puzzled at his reaction. Nick laughed.

  
It was an open, unabashed laugh, and it only grew stronger at the confusion in Judy's eyes. When it was over, he wiped his streaming eyes and patted her head, condescendingly.

  
"My little bunny" he said fondly. "Never grow up."

  
She pushed his paw away again, angrily.

  
"I'm twenty-four!"

  
"And a _terrible_ driver. Red light!"

  
"Gah!"

\---

Judy was a bunny on a mission.

  
She always had been, of course. From an early age she had set herself a goal that everyone around her had said was impossible. She had worked harder than everybody else, she had pushed herself farther than should have been physically possible, she had put everything on a single card, and she had succeeded.

  
And she was content.

  
If she were to be totaly honest with herself, there had been times when she had worried about that. Late nights studying in high school, forsaking friendship and dancing. Those scary moments at the academy when she had broken yet another record, and she would realise that there would come a day when her dreams would be realised, and she would have nothing left to strive for. She thought of her old history professor, an elderly lemur, speaking of the classics: _and Alexander the Goat wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer..._

  
But that hadn't happened. The Nighthowler case had been sufficiently harrowing for a lifetime, a fitting climax to a long struggle. Now, her life consisted of getting up each morning at six for a jog around Sahara Square, a long day of living out her dream and making the world a better place, and finally, most evenings, curling up with Nick for some Ratflix and chill.

  
It had been during one such evening as she leaned against his chest, idly playing with one of the buttons on his shirt (friends could cuddle, right?) that she realised he was very handsome. Objectively. For a fox. And his fur was very soft. Again, speaking purely objectively. He'd make a girl very happy one day, she realised. He _should_ be doing precisely that.

  
And that was how it had started. Life was great, it ought to be better. There was nothing missing, but there was room for more. Judy had a mission again.

  
For her own sake, she wasn't all that worried. While her family had indeed accepted her dream, they wouldn't be Bunnyburrow folk if they didn't have a fluffle of eligible bachelor bucks on hand when they called. So far she'd managed to dodge most of them, but nothing would be easier than giving it a try.

  
No, it was Nick that concerned her. He liked his independence, she knew. He was always rather vague about past relationships and friendships, but as far as she knew, there was no one in his life at present. Well, except her, obviously.

  
She paced her little apartment in narrow circles as the Oryx-Antlersons had their usual row next door, furrowing her brow.

  
She wanted him to have someone in his life, she decided. If she was getting a boyfriend, he was getting a girlfriend, even if she had to set him up. Problem was, she didn't actually have many friends outside of him, certainly not female ones. She hadn't bonded with anyone since the Academy, and-

  
Her ears shot up in revelation, and a grin spread across her face. Of course, Virginia, her roommate at the academy! She had graduated long ago, and was now in precinct three. She'd been meaning to give her a call.

  
Humming to herself, she skipped towards the bed and picked up her phone. Nick would love her. And if he didn't, well, that fox could always be bought with the promise of a free lunch or two.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aiming to post a chapter a day.
> 
> Your comments and kudos sustain me! Even when you wish they didn't...


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author assume no responsibility for decrease in Kopi Luwak sales that may arise from publishing this chapter. 
> 
> In other news, new format!

A few days later, it was a bedraggled and scruffy-looking fox that entered the precinct of district one. Clawhauser was chatting with a friend on the phone, so Judy had taken up position by the little sofa group for visitors by the wall.

"Nick, are you alright?" She asked, worried. He glowered at her, and flung himself down on the sofa.

"You owe me lunch for a week, fluff" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes with a paw.

"What? What happened?"

"You forgot to tell me that Virginia was a WOLF, that's what happened!" He snarled loudly, nearly shouting. A few passerbyers looked up, and Judy winched, shushing him. Truth to be told, she was a little disappointed in him.

"So? What's wrong with dating a wolf?"

He looked at her like she was crazy.

"What's wrong with-? Carrots, she was twice my size!"

"So?"

"She's into close combat fighting! At one point she tried to use me as a chew toy!"

"So?"

Nick stared at her, then flopped back on the couch, head turned up against the roof. Officer Wolfton stepped up, with his usual cup of coffee. He raised his eyebrows at them.

"What's going on here?" He asked, bemused. Judy threw Nick an annoyed look.

"Oh, just debating the merits of interspecies dating" she said wryly. The wolf chuckled.

"Well, I'm all for it."

" 'He said in a _husky_ voice' " Nick intoned, still looking at the ceiling. Wolfton glared at him, then did a double take as he took in the state of the fox.

"What the heck happened to you, Wilde?"

Nick waved, dismissively.

"Carrots' idea of a good time, it appears."

"You need coffee?"

Nick raised his head hopefully, then wrinkled his snout as he saw the Kopi Luwak cup.

"No thanks. I'm a Snarlbucks kinda guy."

"Suit yourself" Wolfton said, taking a sip with relish. Nick gagged, but Wolfton licked his lips in appreciation and looked at the cup admiringly. "Honestly, this stuff is great. What do those civets even _do_ to the beans to make them taste so good?"

Nick grinned.

"Well, you might say it's a pain in the a-" he began, but Judy was already walking away.

Ignoring the sounds of disbelief, horror and eventually frantic spitting that came from behind her, she crossed the wide lobby towards Clawhauser. She'd liked Virginia. She'd been the only mammal capable of flooring her in wrestling matches in the end. And she was a predator, so Nick and her should have gone along just fine.

Judy idly kicked at the empty floor, feeling morose. She really wanted Nick to be happy, but he seemed intent on staying lonely. Making her way to Clawhauser's circular desk, she leaned against it as the cheetah wrapped up his conversation.

"Oh, don't say that, Vick, you're _great_! Oh, it's gonna sound just _lovely_! Yeah, of course I'll be there! Just stop by in a few days, and you can pick up the stuff. Okay. Love you! Bye!"

The rotund cheetah hung up, and smiled at her.

"My friend Vick. _Big_ up and comer in the Yip Rock scene!"

His grin faded as he saw her downcast look. He leaned over the desk, looking at her with worry in his kind eyes.

"Aw, what's wrong, Hunny-Bunny? Did Delegato call you cute again?"

She sighed.

"No, he stopped doing that after I floored him in training and then made him eat gravel for five minutes" she said, sadly. "It's Nick. I set him up with my friend Virginia, but they didn't hit it off. I just... Wish he would _find_ someone, that's all!"

Clawhauser looked at her, then leaned over the desk again to give her a fond smile.

"Well, Judy, sometimes we look around for something, or someone, and we don't realise we've already found it because it's too close. Perhaps- wait, Virginia from third precinct?"

Judy looked up at him in surprise, a surprise that deepened as she saw the terrified face of the cheetah.

"Yeah, so?"

"The wolf? The seven feet tall wolf that even McHorn is afraid of?"

"That's the one!" Judy said, enthusiastically. Then she pouted. "And Nick turned her down, can you believe it?"

She looked up at the cheetah for confirmation, and realised the cat had his face in his paws, shaking his head.

"Oh, my poor little Hunny-Bunny" the feline said sorrowfully. "You really don't get it do you?"

Judy's perplexed eyes revealed that she did not, and he sighed.

"Males are often... Uncomfortable when the female is bigger than them" he explained patiently. "It's one of those primal things."

Judy huffed. Crossing her arms, she started tapping her foot against the floor angrily. Men and their little hangs ups... She threw out her hands in exasperation, nearly stunning a passing gerbil.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? There aren't that many predators smaller than a fox!"

"Doesn't have to be a predator" Clawhauser suggested. "Could be prey."

Judy looked up at him. Then her eyes widened as realisation dawned, and she jumped up in glee, slapping her paws together.

"That's it!"

"Exactly!"

"Penelope!"

"What?"

"Penelope le Pew, from CSI!" Judy explained happily. She didn't notice how Clawhauser's face fell. "She's single, doesn't mind dating predators, _and_ she's smaller than him! They're perfect!"

"Um, Judy, I don't think..."

But Judy was already running away, on fire with her new idea. She turned around to wave at the stupefied Clawhauser, then nimbly dodged the hoofs and feet of passing officers. Nick had a date! And _this_ time he'd have no reason to say it stank!


	3. Chapter Three

The bullpen was always crowded. There were many officers, and they were very large. Now, however, they were trying to make themselves very small as they jockeyed for seats at the edges of the room. In the centre of the room there was a semi-circle of empty chairs, in the epicentre of which sat a rabbit and a fox. The fox had, theatrically, placed a clothespin on the end of his snout. The rabbit had her head in her paws. This combined the advantages of hiding her face and pressing something against her snout. 

"I am sooo sorry!" She moaned again, for the fifth time that morning. 

Nick didn't look at her. 

"A skunk" he said evenly. "You set me up.... With a skunk."

"I'm sorry!"

"A skunk, moreover, which was the _sister_ of the skunk.... Whose fur I once nicked to make a rug."

"Sorry!"

"You realise, of course, that somewhere in Tundratown a certain shrew is having an itsy-bitsy laughing fit?"

Judy pulled her ears down in front of her face, hiding her face in agony. 

"I'm really sorry?"

Nobody rose when Bogo entered the room, but he didn't notice. Rather, he stopped in the doorway and pressed a hoof to his snout, horrified.

" _Wilde_!"

Nick sighed, and raised his paw. 

"Here."

"What, in the name of Kamadhenu, is that smell?"

"Personal issue, sir. I'd appreciate it if you didn't draw attention to it."

The water buffalo drew a deep breath to berate him, then looked like he was about to vomit for a second. When the moment passed, he rubbed his eyes. 

"Delegato!"

The tiger snapped to attention from where he had tried to hide behind Francine. The elephant, who had the most sensitive nose by far, looked like she was having an out of body experience. The chief waved a hoof irritably. 

"Do you still have some of that Tabula Rasa shampoo from when you did the jackal case?"

"Oh! yes sir" the tiger said, clearly relieved. "It's in my locker. Good thinking sir, that stuff kills _all_ smell..."

Chief Bogo rubbed his snout irritably. 

"Well, give Wilde your key so he can shower. I'll chew him out later."

Delegato nodded, picking a key out of his pocket and heading over to the pair. Judy, now in rather a foul mood, glared up at him. He hesitated. 

Nick lifted an eyebrow. 

Then, without anyone saying a word, the massive tiger did a long detour to the other side of the chair just so he could avoid reaching over Judy's head.

\---

Nick was not the only one needing a shower after all that. The cubicles had been rather cramped, but Judy had managed to slip in first. Freshly washed and in a new uniform, she strode into the lobby, where there was still a slight odour of miffed family relations. It was mostly abandoned, but Clawhauser was at his post, as always. He was chatting amicably with a fox that was bent over with its head in a cardboard box. The red tail swished excitedly, emitting from trademark khaki pants. Judy snorted. Had Nick seriously forgotten to bring a spare uniform? 

She shook her head in bemusement, and decided she had apologised enough for one morning. Realising that Clawhauser hadn't spotted her, she moved towards the pair with an impish grin. She grabbed the fox's tail with a yank, and was rewarded with a surprised yip. 

"Enough of that, foxy" she said playfully. "Let's get you out of those clothes."

" _Excuse me_?"

The fox straightened up, and to her horror, Judy realised it wasn't Nick. The fox before her was female, probably some twenty-five, twenty six years of age. She wore an aquamarine top over her sleek, well-brushed fur, and a tear shaped opal hung from a gold chain around her neck. She looked around herself furiously. Spotting no one she looked down, now a little more puzzled, at the rabbit before her. 

Judy was now literally too mortified for speech. She blabbered an apology to the confused fox, most of which sounded like rambling, until Clawhauser took pity on her and stepped in. 

"This is my friend Vicky" he explained. "You know, the Yip Rock Artist I told you about?"

Judy stopped her rambling. She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I am so sorry. I thought you were somebody else."

The confusion turned to mirth at Judy's embarrassment. The fox was actually quite beautiful, Judy realised. Very beautiful. 

"Someone you have a habit of pulling the tail of?" She teased. "That's not very nice."

"Meh, why not?" Nick chipped in, straightening the collar of his spare uniform. "These last few days she has done... Practically... Everything... Else..."

His voice trailed off. Judy shook herself, brushing her ears back.

"Okay. Okay! So I'm having a bad morning! I'm just gonna... Crawl in a hole and die. Actually, no, we have patrol duty before that, and we are _late_. Clawhauser, ring the garage will you? Nick, did you talk to Bogo?"

She was five steps from the group before she realised that no one had responded. She furrowed her brow, and turned around. 

"Nick...?"

The fox hadn't moved. In fact, neither fox had moved. Nick still had his left paw on his collar, and Vicky had her hands on her hips, where she'd put them when talking to Judy. Her mouth was slightly open. 

Judy stared at them. She had the sudden realisation that somewhere, unheard by anyone but those two, an imaginary chorus of bluebirds had just started up. Seemingly mesmerised, Nick extended his free paw. 

"... Nick" he eventually managed to get out. She took his paw, seemingly on automatic.

"... Vick" she replied, faintly.

The handshake was finished. The paws didn't separate. 

The lobby was filling up again. Officers were exiting the locker rooms, freshly scrubbed and ready for the day. Visitors piled in, making their regular complaints. No one paid attention to the two foxes. The foxes paid attention to no one. Clawhauser had his paws pressed against his flabby cheeks, looking ecstatic. 

No one, absolutely no one, noticed the expression on Judy Hopps' face.


	4. Chapter Four

" _Yip it to the streets!_  
_Yip it to the den!_  
_Yip it on the town_  
_Till you're all sun-ken!_ "

The crowd, mostly consisting of medium sized predators and prey, roared along with the lyrics. The venue was small but crowded, an underground club where the brick walls were exposed to the heavy air, and all the spotlights where focused on the rickety stage. Vicky, parts of her hair dyed green and wearing an artistically torn white t-shirt, shouted the last of the lyrics into a microphone, then round up the song with a guitar solo. The audience roared again, waving their collective paws in the air.

" _Awwww_.... Didn't I tell you she was good?"

Clawhauser almost seemed like he was going to burst with glee. He was wearing a black faux-leather jacket that was much too large for him, pressing his hands together. Nick grinned at him, but quickly returned his eyes to the fox on the stage.

There was no way she could have seen him. She nevertheless winked, and the crowd went bananas.

" 'Til you're all sun-ken' " a voice below them said suddenly. "What does that even _mean_?"

Clawhauser looked down on the angry bunny. Unlike the rest of the group, she had not dressed up. She wore the same grey t-shirt she'd worn to the Gazelle concert. The cheetah eyed her worriedly, but didn't have time to reply, as Nick made his way to the stage. Judy followed, arms stiff by her side.

Vicky jumped down from the stage, Nick expertly catching her in his arms and twirling her about.

"Hey there, rock star" he purred. She put her hands around his neck, and looked up at him with bedroom eyes.

"Hey there, handsome" she replied softly, and moved to kiss him. He deftly moved his head so her lips struck his cheek.

"Vicky! You... Were... AWESOME!"

Latching an arm around Nick's waist, the vixen smiled at her feline friend.

"Thank's Claws. Hey there, Judy! Did you like the show?"

It had made her sick to her stomach. She didn't bother to try to smile.

"Not really my scene."

"O... kay. Anyway." She turned to Nick with a soft smile. "This place is loud. Care to continue the party somewhere more private?"

Nick chuckled, and put his hand around her shoulder as they walked to the door.

"You read my mind. Lead the way, pretty vixen..."

They walked a few steps, then Nick looked behind them.

"Um, Carrots?"

He looked down at Judy, who had started to follow them. She looked up, nonplussed.

"What? I thought we were going to a private party?"

Over Nick's shoulder, she could see Vicky roll her eyes. She was smiling. But she was rolling her eyes. Nick looked uncomfortable.

"No, that means- look, Judy, why don't you just... Wait here with Clawhauser?"

"But I want to-!"

She felt a heavy paw on her shoulder.

"You two go ahead" Clawhauser supplied. "We'll stay here."

Nick gave him an uncomfortable smile, then did his best to avoid Judy's furious gaze. She wanted to go after them, but Clawhauser could be remarkably strong when he wanted to.

The club really was loud. It would take a rabbit's hearing to make out the suppressed giggle from the exit.

They stood there in silence for a little while, cat and bunny, neither of them saying anything.

"Sorry, Hunny-Bunny" Clawhauser said at last, regret clear in his voice. "You can't always have what you want."

Judy stared at the door furiously, wanting her friend to come back for her. _Demanding_ her friend come back for her. A sounder of swine walked in, and she breathed deeply through her nose, trying very hard to suppress her rage.

She caught a whiff of Clawhauser's jacket, and wrinkled her brow. She looked up at the despondent cheetah.

"Benjamin, why does your jacket smell like water-buffalo?"

"Hey, look over there!" Clawhauser said brightly. "Beer!"

\---

"She's a menace!"

Judy gulped back her glass of beer in one swoop and slammed it down on the table. She looked unsteadily at Clawhauser, who was nursing his own much larger glass in a heavyset paw. He sighed, and removed her second glass with a finger. It was about the size of a teacup for him.

"I think maybe you've had enough, Judy" he said wearily.

Her eyes narrowed. With a spring of her agile feet she had jumped up on the table. She marched across the sticky surface towards the cat, and grabbed him by the front of his jacket. He looked terrified. She stabbed him in the chest with a tiny paw.

"You don't tell me when I've had enough, alright?" She slurred. "Neither you nor that no-good two-timing Nicholas Wilde! You hear?"

Clawhauser raised his hands in surrender, and Judy took the opportunity to grab his glass. She clutched it to her chest like an infant, slowly walking backwards on the table with a paw raised menacingly against the cheetah. Clawhauser kept his hands up until the bunny flopped down on the table, drinking his beer. He sighed again, and took her glass between thumb and forefinger, sipping it.

"Technically, he isn't two-timing you" he said, as kindly as he dared. "He's only dating _her_. Which you wanted."

She coughed, wiping her beer-stained mouth on her sleeve. She glared over at him.

"I didn't want him to date _her_! I wanted him to date Virginia! Or Penelope! Or- or-!"

"Or some other female he wouldn't want to date?" Clawhauser finished for her.

She glared at him again, then her ears sank and she took another swig of beer.

"Shut up" she muttered.

They drank in silence. Clawhauser put down his beer.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you didn't date much back in high school?"

She raised her eyebrows and smiled without mirth.

"First bunny on the force, remember? You think I had time for a social life? So yeah, no boyfriends."

She looked down into her beer.

"I don't even think I had a proper friend before Nick" she said, mostly to herself.

The froth of the beer swirled gently under her breath, but she didn't see it. She saw a laughing fox, walking down Sahara Square with her on Sunday morning. Bringing them coffee in the police cruiser with a smile. Tussling her ears and calling her a dumb bunny. But that was all right.

She knew he didn't mean it.

She started to cry.

It was pathetic, it was embarrassing, but she simply couldn't help herself. Great big gulps of tears fell from her eyes and into her drink. The ram behind the bar across the room, who had been giving them sour looks since Judy had jumped up on the table, now looked outright annoyed. Clawhauser quickly got up, and picked up his young friend.

"Come on, Hunny-Bunny" he said in a low voice. "Let's get you home."

She cried the whole way, and clung to the leather jacket like her life depended on it.

 


	5. Chapter Five

That night she had a dream.

She dreamt she was back in the Natural History Museum, running with Nick towards the police station. Except this time it wasn't Bellwether who was after them, it was Vicky. The vixen wore that torn, white t-shirt she'd worn for the concert. Instead of two police rams, she was flanked by Virginia and Penelope, perfectly silent.

Vicky was smug. Judy couldn't quite make out what she was saying, all the way up there. She was in the pit with Nick. She was always in the pit with Nick in these dreams. But this time it was different. When Vicky pointed that gun at Nick that would turn him against his bunny friend, Judy knew there was more than just blueberries in the compartment...

The nightmare seemed so real. She fought and trashed in the bed, tangling herself in the sheets. She struggled to wake, to get away from Vicky's increasingly loud voice. It wasn't until she was wide awake, panting in bed, that she realised it wasn't a dream: she was actually hearing Vicky's angry voice.

".... Son of a cow! How could you _do_ that to me? You're a creep. A creep! You low-life little..."

There was another voice too, lower, somehow. Curious, Judy slipped out of bed, stopping for a moment as a blinding headache struck her between the eyes. Hangover. Wonderfull. Clasping a cold paw to her hot forehead, she turned on the lamp on the desk and shuffled to the door in her pyjamas. She opened it curiously, gazing into the hallway.

There was no Vicky, though the vixen's voice filled the hall. Briefly, she worried about her neighbours, but the two ungulates seemed sound asleep. There was a fox there, but not a vixen.

Nick rubbed his eyes, talking into the shrieking telephone.

"Alright, alright, I said I was sorry. Look, I gotta go. I'm here."

"Yeah, you go on!" The telephone shouted. Nick held it from his ear with a winch. "You go back to HER, you freak! You two deserve each other!"

The silence afterwards was deafening. Nick sighed, and pocketed his telephone. A plastic bag fluttered on his wrist. Judy opened the door further.

"...Nick?" She asked.

He stiffened, then turned around with a standard, charming grin.

"Heya, Carrots!" He proudly brandished the plastic bag. "I got us takeout!"

Judy looked at him, then they both looked at the clearly empty bag. Nick's shoulders sank.

"I forgot the takeout" he admitted, ears drooping. Judy frowned.

"Nick, are you... Drunk?"

"....Yes, lets go with that."

She stared at him, then opened the door all the way. It would be the mother of all hypocrisy if the Oryx-Antlersons made a complaint for excessive noise, but Judy decided it wasn't worth risking. Nick flopped down on the bed, the only piece of furniture in her apartment large enough to hold him. She sat in the chair, watching him.

Outside, it started to rain. The heavy drops streamed down the window.

"So, was that Vicky?" She said at last. He snorted.

"Yeah. Yeah, that was Vicky. Dumping me...."

"What? Why?"

He threw out his paws and giggled, though he didn't seem very amused.

"Well, apparently chicks do that when they realise you've been leading them on! Broads, eh?"

"Leading them-! Nick, what? And... Well, why? You seemed very... Happy together."

She could barely get the words out, they hurt too much. Her stomach was churning, but she was pretty sure it wasn't from the alcohol.

It felt like a happy churn.

Nick didn't respond immediately. Instead he simply lay there for a while, then sat up, rubbing his face.

"So, do I still get to meet him?" He asked at last. He didn't look at her, and she was genuinely perplexed.

"Who?"

"The buck" he explained, patiently. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. "The guy you've been seeing. Even if I haven't met someone myself."

"What are you- I'm not seeing anyone!"

He sighed.

"I'm not an idiot, Hopps" he said, wearily. "You wanted us to start dating people. Then you go out of your way to make sure _I_ find someone, but don't actually date yourself. So you've found someone and don't want me to feel left out...."

"Nick, I'm serious! I'm not seeing anyone! I've... Never seen anyone, actually..."

"What, so you're just sick of me, is that it?" Nick looked up, angry now. For a brief moment, even after all this time, Judy's first thought was that she was alone in a small room with an angry fox. The thought quickly died away as he continued.

"Is that what this is? You're just tired of me showing up every night watching Ratflix? Couldn't you have just said so? Couldn't you have just told me I was bothering you? Told me you-"

"Nick, stop!"

Judy had jumped from the chair, landing in front of him. She grabbed the sides of his muzzle with her paws. She looked into his bloodshot eyes, desperate for him to understand.

"I'm not tired of you! I'm not tired of watching Ratflix or eating takeout or bickering over which movie we're going to see! I'm not tired of it, I'll never tire of it! It's all I want for the rest of my life!"

The words rang through the tiny apartment, bouncing back from the walls. Outside, the rain intensified. Nick looked at her with those beautiful, emerald eyes, which suddenly seemed to hold the world.

"That's all I want for the rest of my life too" he said. His voice was so very small.

She smiled, and blinked back tears. Smiles and tears. What a strange combination. She gave a strangled laugh, but didn't let go off his muzzle.

"Man, we are a pair of idiots aren't we?"

"Yeah" Nick said softly, her hands still on his face.

She looked at him. He was really very close.

"... We're about to kiss, aren't we...?"

There was a pause.

"Yeah...."

The rain fell against the window, making the world disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious to see what people will make of this ending. And before you say anything, yes, I see the "sloshed fox" overtones, and yes, they annoy me, but I didn't feel the plot tied together without the angry phone call.
> 
> The good news (or bad news, if you didn't like this fic) is that there is a sequel. This will not be posted for a few weeks, as I am swamped. Hoping to see you there thought :)


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